Topic: Authoritarianism and Democracy
Country: Afghanistan
Delegate Name: Claire Verbrugge
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Afghanistan position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
Young democracies, while promising people opportunity and participation in government, are currently threatened by a rise in authoritarianism. This is because of countries have been threatening young and old democracies with hostile authoritarian policies. Citizens in these countries are striving for the right of choice, transparency, participation, and respect in their governing institutions. The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) goal to strengthen these core human values is evidenced by their commitment to help more than 130 countries and devote $1.5 billion in resources to assist and create democratic governance. The need for these contributions is due to the increase of civil engagements caused by uprisings from all social strata. Despite drastic cultural and political changes brought about by the Taliban in the mid-1990s and the ensuing years of instability and war, Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy continues to fight for a well-established government. A monumental step in the right direction occurred in 2014 when Ashraf Ghani was elected president and peacefully transitioned into power. Although positive strides have taken place in creating a participatory government, countries with young democracies need resources and support to solidify a representative government.
As a country that has faced many cultural and political upheavals, Afghanistan’s leadership understands the importance of strengthening democratic core values and institutions at all levels of society. Afghanistan has fought to maintain a secure democracy by adopting a new constitution and working with various international organizations. With assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Afghanistan enhanced their three branches of government and constructed election processes that allow citizens to vote directly for their representatives. In addition, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is committed to helping grow an independent government in Afghanistan. Also, the UNDP has provided tremendous support in the reconstruction process and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), one of the many projects, helps bring quality education to children in Afghanistan and many other countries. These efforts will help decrease the rise of authoritarianism.
Afghanistan proposes that the United Nations provide resources to improve literacy and overall education which will, in turn, create a stronger foundation of democracy and improve the voting process. Afghanistan also proposes that the United Nations send additional institutional support to preventing elitists from corrupting its system. Enforcing laws and promoting a democracy for the people would help stop corruption. Afghanistan has made reparations such as improving their constitution from the times of the Taliban rule and continues to strive for a fair democracy, but with obstacles in the way such as lack of education and rich elitists threatening the government's power, it is not hard to see why Afghanistan and many other countries are stuck with an unstable government system. With just thirty-eight percent of the population able to read, it makes the foundation of democracy and political education weak. One way to help solve this issue would be to create more infrastructure because the country is lacking resources. A resolution that improves both the integrity of the institutions and increases the education of people will strengthen a government's democratic core values and reduce the rise of authoritarianism.
